Ludwig bbnsbl



L. BBNSBL.

(No Model.)

IUE CREBPER.

APatented Nov, 7, 1882.

'n man; mummy wauw. n,

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

LUDWIG BEN SEL, OF ISERLOHN, PRUSSIA, GERMANY.

ICE-CREEPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 266,962, dated November 7, 1882,

Application med February as, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LUDWIG BENsEL, of Iserlohn, Prussia, in the Empire ot' Germany, have invented a new and Improved Ice-Creeper, of which the following is a specification.

Figure l is a top view of my improved creeper, showing it i-n position for use as such. Fig.

i er-prongs turned upward.

tion in the position shown in Fig. 2.

2 is a top view of the same, showing the creep- Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of' the saine in the position shown in Fig. l; Fig. 4, a similar sec- Fig. 5 is a side view of a shoe having vmy improved creeper. Fig. 6 is a side view of a modilied form ofthe frame ot' said ereeper, and Fig. 7 a front view ofthe same.

The object ot' this invention is to produce an ice-Creeper attachment to boots and shoes which'can be readily adjusted when there is no ice, so as to carry the spurs of the creeper entirely out ot the way; and the invention consists in forming the spurs on a plate which is pivoted in the horseshoe-frame of the ereeper, and so arranged with reference to a rigid plate held in said plate thattit can be revolved on its pivot to carry the spurs partly under said rigid plate when they are required for actual use. l

rIhe invention also consists in further details of improvement, hereinafter more fully described.

A in the drawings represents a horseshoeshaped band ot' iron, which constitutes the framing ofmy improved Creeper, the same being intended as an attachment to the heel of a boot or shoe. In the back part ot'v this horseshoe-shaped frame A is a rigidly-secured transverse plate, B, having in it holes a, through which screws can be passed for securing the frame to the bottom of a heel, as indicated at b in Fig. 3. In front of the cross-plate B is pivoted in the horseshoe-shaped frame A, by means of gudgcons or pins d, a plate, D, which, when in the position shown in Figs. l and 3, abuts against the front edge of the plate B and is contiguous therewith, and in this position carries downwardly-proj ectin g prongs or spurs e. Hence in this position the device is an iceereeper lining the entire bottom of the heel with metal. rI he spurs e, in the position shown in Fig. 3, lap partly under the plate B, and in this position the plate D, with its spurs, is held I by a spring, E, which is at one end fastened l to the plate B, and at the other end bears upon .the top of the plate D, as shown. Thus the spring` has the tendency to throw the-projecting or interlocking parts of the spurs e against the under side ofthe plate B, leaving the ieecreeper in perfect condit-ion for use; but when the ice-Creeper is not to be used as such, but merely to form a strengthening attachment to a boot. or shoe, the plate D is revolved on its gudgeons into the position shown in Figs. 2 and 4, so as to bring the spurs e into an upwardlyeprojecting position, as shown. In this position the spring E will also hold the plate D. The dotted lines in'Fig. 4 show the plate D in a vertical position on its way from that shown in Fig. 3 to that shown by i'nll lines in Fig. 4, or vice versa.

'For convenience of turning, one of the gudgeons d may have a suitable handle attachment-, but this in practice may be altogether unnecessary.

It will be seen from the foregoing specification that the spurs can be thrown into or out oi' use at will, and that when in use as a creeper the plates B and I) abut, making a practically continuous met-allie bottom to the heel of the tinuity may be dispensed with.

The modification which is shown in Figs. 6 and 7 consists simply in adding to what is shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 an upwardly-projecting lug, g, at the back ot' the t'rame A, with fastening-screw It passing through the same, and upwardly and inwardly projecting lugs z' at the vfront end ot' the frame A t'or bearing against the front of the heel, so that by this means the apparatus can be fastened to a heel, instead of by the screws b.

The ice-Creeper frame A, having fixed plate B and pivoted plate D, with spurse on the latter,rthe upper ends of said, spurs projecting horizontally back ot' the plate D and extending partly beneath the contiguous plate B, when they are turned down,`in combination with the spring E, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LUDWIG BENSEL. Witnesses:

C. KURTZ, CARL SCHULTE.

boot or shoe, although in many cases this con- ICO 

